Everyone was completely dumbfounded. Uncle Hua asked, "Pu Yigong, what is the meaning of this?"
Pu Yigong shook his head and replied, "This was not my intention; I've been instructed by the Governor. He said that the three of them are guilty of allowing their subordinates to commit murder. I'm just following orders!"
Uncle Hua was completely dumbstruck when he heard that this was Lan Hou's instruction. Perhaps in the entire Fifth Earthly Branch, only the Overlord would be able to change his mind now.
Having his movements restrained, Sikong Wuwei snapped out of pure rage. "The Huyan family must be pulling the strings behind this. One who intends to accuse others will never be afraid of running out of excuses!"
He wasn't the only one who believed this; even Miao Yi and Uncle Hua thought the same.
"Ignorant child. How dare you make such baseless accusations!" Pu Yigong glared at Sikong Wuwei and barked, "Slap his mouth!"
"Please wait!" Miao Yi suddenly yelled, "High Magistrate Pu, I wish to see the Governor!"
Pu Yigong scoffed, "You really are ignorant. Do you think the Governor is someone the likes of you can meet just because you want to? I see—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Miao Yi's voice transmission suddenly rang in his ear, "I have a message from Fairy Hong Chen for the Governor!"
Given how bad the situation was, Miao Yi was completely out of any other ideas. Against such powerful individuals, there was no way he could take them on by himself. He finally understood how laughable he was back when he stood up to Fairy Hong Chen. At the time, he had crushed the jade archive that she had given him. He never thought that at this moment, he would still need to use her name to save himself. He didn't know how he could still face Fairy Hong Chen if he were to meet her again. To think that he even wished to make her his woman. What a joke of an idea! Fairy Hong Chen would surely laugh at him when she finds out about this later on.
Pu Yigong raised his hand and signaled for his subordinate to stop from slapping Sikong Wuwei.
Everyone wondered why Pu Yigong suddenly decided to change his mind mid-sentence.
Pu Yigong transmitted his voice back to Miao Yi, warning, "Why didn't you bring up Fairy Hong Chen right from the start? Kid, you must be careful of what you say. Right now, you're only guilty of allowing your subordinates to commit murder. This isn't a crime that warrants death. Are you aware of the consequences of making false claims?"
Miao Yi replied, "If I'm really lying, the Governor will know immediately once he asks Fairy Hong Chen. Why would I dig my own grave like this?!"
Pu Yigong had to agree with Miao Yi's words. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Lock them up for now."
The trio was then taken away and immediately placed behind the sturdy bars of a prison cell.
As they entered the prison, they soon heard the screams of one of their fellow prisoners. When said prisoner heard the sound of someone coming in, he fiercely bellowed, "Let me out! Hurry up and let me out! My ancestor is Huyan Taibao! How dare you imprison me?! My ancestor definitely won't forgive you all for this! Hurry up and let me out!"
The prisoner's voice was a little hoarse, most likely from a long period of yelling.
Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei's expressions instantly darkened as they exchanged glances with one another. There was no need to guess. This prisoner must be that Huyan Shou. Unfortunately, he was being held in the innermost cell in the prison, so they couldn't see his face.
"May I ask where those handmaidens are being held?" As the jailer locked the cell, Zhao Fei hurriedly took the opportunity to ask a question.
However, the jailer didn't reply. Zhao Fei then took out two pearl-sized mid-grade Orbs of Will and stuffed it in the jailer's hands. With a plain expression, the jailer tucked the Orbs of Will away, then pointed towards the wall behind Zhao Fei and the others and said, "They're in the women's prison next door!"
"What handmaidens?" Huyan Shou's voice resounded from the end of the corridor. "Who is it?! Who just came in?!"
Sikong Wuwei wanted to snap back at Huyan Shou, but Miao Yi raised a hand and stopped him. He transmitted his voice over to Sikong, saying, "Try not to cause a scene for now. We should be focused on getting ourselves out of here. After that, I will definitely have this scumbag's life!"
"Who is it?! Why aren't you saying anything?!" Huyan Shou continued to scream.
The three of them completely ignored him and simply sat down cross-legged on the floor.
Soon, Pu Yigong appeared alongside a jailer. Standing behind the cell doors, he cast a glance at the trio, then gestured for the jailer to open the doors. After which, he turned to Miao Yi and said, "Come with me!"
Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei were shocked. Miao Yi stood up and said, "I'll be fine!"
The prison doors were then closed back up, and Miao Yi left with Pu Yigong. Meanwhile, Huyan Shou's hoarse screeches continued to echo throughout the prison walls...
Outside of the Transient Life Pavilion, Pu Yigong and Miao Yi stood waiting.
Inside the pavilion, Lan Hou dipped his brush in red ink, then painted vibrant flowers around the side of the mountain in the painting. He continued to paint across the other similar areas in the painting, then handed the red-tipped brush to one of his handmaidens, who then continued painting on his behalf.
After which, he grabbed a wet towel from the other handmaiden, and wiped his hands as he slowly turned around. He glanced at the two people waiting outside the pavilion, then said to Pu Yigong, "Wait down below!"
"Understood!" Pu Yigong immediately departed.
Lan Hou handed the wet towel back to his handmaiden, then sized up Miao Yi. Similarly, Miao Yi examined Lan Hou. He had long heard stories about this Governor, and today he was finally able to meet him in person.
"Didn't you say that Fairy Hong Chen asked you to pass a message to me? Say it then!" commanded Lan Hou as he stood at the top of the steps. His presence was absolutely overbearing, and even Miao Yi felt an immense pressure weighing down on him. The aura coming from a person that had long stood over the shoulders of many was simply too intense to ignore.
Miao Yi cupped his fists and replied, "Governor, to be honest, Fairy Hong Chen didn't ask me to pass any message at all. However, she did tell me that I can come look for you if I ever encounter any trouble."
Lan Hou replied with a simple "Oh", then asked, "How do I know you're not lying to me?"
Miao Yi answered, "I have no means to prove myself. However, just a few months ago, I have had the honor of meeting Fairy Hong Chen in the Western Constellations Palace. This was something she said to me personally at the time. I dare not make any false claims before you, Governor. You will immediately know the truth if you just ask Fairy Hong Chen."
Lan Hou said, "I doubt very much that Hong Chen would allow a measly nobody like you to come find me."
Miao Yi replied, "During the Sea of Constellations Subjugation Crusade, I was able to provide some help to Fairy Yue Yao in her endeavors. Hence, Fairy Hong Chen decided to tell me this. As for why she told me to look for you specifically should I ever encounter any trouble, that I do not know."
Although Miao Yi didn't understand why Fairy Hong Chen had asked him to look for Lan Hou, Lan Hou did. Hong Chen herself didn't have many friends, but Lan Hou was definitely one of the few she had. She didn't have many acquaintances after all. Actually, Lan Hou already knew that Miao Yi was telling the truth right from the start. If he had been lying, he could've named any of the other influential people instead of just randomly mentioning Hong Chen.
Lan Hou then asked, "In that case, why didn't you look for me from the start?"
'If I wasn't out of options, would I need to embarrass myself in front of Fairy Hong Chen like this?' Miao Yi felt helpless deep inside. He smiled bitterly and answered, "Governor, if I had any other choice, I wouldn't trouble you like this."
"Alright then! I already understand where you're coming from. Go back to prison and wait obediently for now!" Lan Hou waved his hand and gestured for Miao Yi to leave.
'I still have to go back to prison?!' Miao Yi was startled, and he hastily asked, "Governor, do you not believe my words?"
"That's not something for you to decide. I still need to confirm whether what you say is true or not." Lan Hou dismissed Miao Yi's pleas with a simple excuse.
Miao Yi was completely unable to retort. Soon, Pu Yigong returned, then brought Miao Yi back to his cell.
When he returned to the cell, Zhao Fei and Sikong Wuwei immediately asked what happened. Miao Yi simply shook his head helplessly. All he could do now was hope that Lan Hou would contact Fairy Hong Chen as soon as possible. If even his sworn big brother's name had no effect, then out of all the people he knew, only Fairy Hong Chen would be able to save him now.
Not long after, a well-dressed old man walked into the prison, accompanied by two jailers. He passed by Miao Yi and the others' cell and headed straight towards the edge of the prison.
"Father!" Huyan Shou's terrified screams resounded once again. "Father! Save me quickly please!"
Suddenly, a loud slapping sound could be heard! Huyan Shou screeched, "Father! Why did you hit me?"
"You damned bastard! Are you trying to anger me to death?! How dare you publicly take advantage of an immortal?! Are you tired of living?!" The furious bellow of the old man could be heard.
Huyan Shou said in indignation, "What immortal? Aren't they just a bunch of female cultivators? I can't even count with both hands how many I've fooled around with already. It's not like you don't know what it's like either, Father!"
"You…" The old man was quaking with anger. He pointed at Huyan Shou from behind the cell doors and barked, "Come here this instant!"
Huyan Shou had backed far away. He didn't dare walk up to the old man just to be slapped, and he shook his head and said, "I'm not going there if you're not going to get me out!"
The old man bellowed, "You still think you can get out? The Governor himself commanded that you be locked up for ten years! You'll only get to see the light of day again after ten years!"
"Ten years!" Huyan Shou exclaimed in terror. He immediately rushed to the prison bars and got to his knees, pulling on his father's robes as he cried anxiously, "Father! I don't want to be locked up for ten years! I'll die! There are so many disciples from prestigious families who ended up dead in the Governor's hands already. He'll surely kill me. Father! You have to look for Ancestor to come save me!"
'Pa! Pa!' In his anger, the old man gave Huyan Shou a couple more slaps. There were some things that he simply couldn't say in front of strangers. What kind of person was their ancestor? Was he someone that anybody could just meet because they wanted to? There was a reason why no one dared to bully any of Huyan Taibao's countless descendants and even allowed them to live in fame and fortune—it was precisely because of the awe that this ancestor of theirs commanded. Are they still not satisfied with that? Did they also wish to trouble their ancestor with the problems of a single descendant? This was an impossible favor to ask. Huyan Taibao would not step out unless it was a truly major issue. Otherwise, given the number of his descendants, where would he find the time to take care of every single one of them?
"I can't save you!" The old man pointed at his own robes and roared, "Let go of me!"
"Father! You can't leave me here! This incident has nothing to do with me actually. I'm just a victim as well. There's a different mastermind. He's the one who instigated me into provoking those female cultivators. He should be the one who's locked up, not me!" Huyan Shou desperately pulled on his father's robes and was unwilling to let go. Already in tears, he cried desperately for help.
"Mastermind?" The old man's eyes immediately widened. He yelled, "Who is the one manipulating our Huyan family? You better tell me the truth!"
'There's a different mastermind?' In the other prison cell, Miao Yi, Zhao Fei, and Sikong Wuwei's ears immediately perked up.
"His name is Ren Xuanming, a teller from the capital city's Chamber of Commerce! He was the one who came to me and told me to humiliate those women. He said that the moment they show even the slightest disrespect, that I shouldn't let them off and immediately reveal my identity as a member of the Huyan family to intimidate them and their masters. After which, Ren Xuanming would step forward as the savior of the day and settle the dispute for them, and at the same time, use this as leverage to force their masters to trade with him. Ren Xuanming told me that their masters are Subjugation Crusade survivors or something, and they possess a ludicrous amount of wealth. He said that this would be a major transaction, and told me that once the deed is done, I'll get sixty percent of the profits, while he takes forty percent. I was blinded by greed at the time and did as he told me to. I never thought that those women would be crazy enough to kill people so openly in the capital city, which then caught the attention of the Martial Manor's enforcers." Huyan Shou was so terrified that he spilled the beans on this entire incident immediately. He bawled, "Father! I didn't want it to be like this either! I was just tricked by someone else! I'm not the one at fault here! Father! You have to save me! I'll die if I'm locked up in here!"
"Outrageous! How dare a measly teller try to set up my Huyan family!" The old man was furious. He forcefully tried to pull his robes away from his son's grasp. However, Huyan Shou simply wouldn't let go. The old man then immediately took off his robes, allowing his son to pull on it as much as he wanted, and then stormed off.
"Father! You can't leave your son like this!" Huyan Shou's desperate cries echoed within the prison walls.
"Ren Xuanming!" Miao Yi muttered with a dark expression on his face. He remembered that Luo Ping had told him this Ren Xuanming liked to use underhanded methods to conduct his business. At the time, he thought that Luo Ping was simply scorning a fellow colleague. He never thought that his words were actually true.